WATERLOO, Ont. – For the second consecutive year, the #2-ranked Golden Hawks will duel it out in the Yates Cup final after defeating the #8 Queen's Gaels 29-21.
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The Gaels were riding high into this weekend's match-up, coming off a 22-19 come-back win over the Windsor Lancers in the OUA quarterfinals, whereas the Golden Hawks had plenty of time to prepare during their well-deserved bye-week.
The two programs had not met in the playoffs since the 2012 first round that saw Queen's advance.
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It was the Gaels who put the first points on the board, albeit they were hoping for more.
On Laurier's opening drive,
Taylor Elgersma was sacked for a loss of 11-yards, coughing up the ball in the process where the Gaels gained possession well within the red zone.
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However, Laurier's red-hot defence minimised the damage. The Gaels' go-to receiver Nathan Falconi was foiled by
Johari Hastings who followed Falconi all the way into the end zone, breaking up the would-be touchdown pass.
The Gaels settled for the 14-yard field goal at 12:28 to put the Hawks behind 3-0.
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After nearly seven minutes of back-and-forth play, at 5:23
Dawson Hodge split the uprights from 29-yards out, getting the Golden Hawks on even terms.
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The first quarter was relatively quiet for quarterbacks Elgersma and Anthony Lio. Elgersma picked up 70 passing yards on 5-7 completion, while Lio managed 38-yards with a 57% pass rate.
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The start of the second quarter echoed the first for Laurier. Matt Driver's 40-yard punt hemmed the Golden Hawks deep in their own zone, and would ultimately concede the safety to give Queen's the two point edge at 5-3.
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Queen's only needed three more minutes to back the Golden Hawks into a corner. With six plays totalling 75-yards, Lio and Nico Kwemo connected for the three-yard touchdown. The Gaels quickly took a commanding 12-3 lead going into the ten minute mark.
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But the Golden Hawks did not let the Gaels fly for much longer. Laurier's defence went back to work forcing the two-and-out, putting Elgersma and company onto the field.
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Layomi Ojutalayo and
Tanner Nelmes led the Golden Hawks charge within striking distance where Elgersma and
Ethan Jordan took the reins.
Elgersma spotted Jordan down the middle where he slipped free of not one, but four Gaels defenders, landing across the goal line for the 16-yard touchdown. Suddenly, the deficit was cut to 12-10.
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"We knew we had to play better," Jordan said. "I was able to get a drag over the middle, run off the catch and score. That gave our team some momentum, a spark, and we took that and ran with it."
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Second year linebacker
Jessie Wilkins-Flaricee sacked Lio in their last regular season meeting, and made sure to reacquaint himself a month to the day later. Wilkins-Flaricee brought down Lio for a loss of eight yards, and the Gaels surrendered the safety. Laurier knotted the score at 12 with 2:46 remaining.
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When it rains it pours, and the Golden Hawks flooded the Gaels' end zone, putting up 23 points in the quarter. This marked the highest amount of points that Queen's has conceded in a quarter all year, both regular and postseason.
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The Laurier offence started at their own 35-yard line and wasted little time heading down field. Jordan and
Jace Atkinson divided the receiving work combining for 27-yards while Nelmes and
Tayshaun Jackson on the run picked up 17-yards, all before
Ryan Hughes made his mark.
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Cooper Hamilton's block allowed Elgersma to move out of the pocket while Hughes turned on the jets, faking the inside step to lose the coverage, and caught the 31-yard pass in the end zone. Hughes collected his first touchdown of the year and first of his career in the playoffs. Laurier jumped in front 19-12 with 1:12 on the clock.
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The ensuing Gaels drive looked promising as they got into Laurier territory, but the reigning OUA Rookie of the Year
Ethan Gregorcic had other plans. Gregorcic read Lio's pass to perfection, intercepting the ball and showed off his speed on the massive 41-yard return.
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"[Coach VanMoerkerke] told us to be us," Gregorcic said. "We know our identity, we know how to play, we know what we can do. We went out there and did what we knew we could do."
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Manager of football operations and head coach
Michael Faulds credited his young linebacker, saying, "Last year he had a couple of interceptions, and it was kind of haunting him this year that he hadn't gotten his hands on one. So to see that interception and how many yards he took it back was great."
After Jackson and Nelmes combined for 20 rushing yards getting the purple and gold to the Queen's 23-yard line, Elgersma found Ojutalayo who took the ball from one sideline to the other, breaking the tackles of three Gaels, and strolled into the endzone.
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The Golden Hawks scored three unanswered touchdowns in the frame, taking a 14-point 26-12 lead into halftime.
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Fortunately for the Gaels, they held Laurier off the score sheet in the third quarter. Unfortunately for the Gaels, they faced the same fate thanks to the Golden Hawks defensive unit that acted like a brick wall.
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Gregorcic continued to trouble Lio in the quarter. Lio stepped around his offensive line and the pass attempt was broken up by Gregorcic, who was far from done.
The Gaels went on to turn over the ball on down on back-to-back possessions. They would go 0-3 on third down conversions, reflecting their league-worst 32% conversion rate during the regular season.
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With 1:48 remaining, Gregorcic deflected another pass preventing the Gaels from picking up the first down. Gregorcic ended his day with five tackles, one interception, and a season and career high three break-ups.
To start the fourth quarter, Tyler Mullan hit the 37-yard field goal bringing the score to 26-15. It was the first of three consecutive field goals where Hodge responded with his own 30-yard three-pointer and back to Mullan again from 32-yards out after
Joseph Edlington made his first career playoff sack when he brought down Lio for a nine-yard loss.
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At 2:45, Mullan struck again from 49-yards out, putting the score at 29-21. With only an eight point gap, the Gaels worked with less time a week prior to upset the Lancers, and were no doubt licking their lips at the possibility of forcing overtime with another touchdown-two point conversion miracle.
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The long-shot opportunity never flourished into fruition. Queen's managed to avoid Jackson on special teams all day, but with Jackson lined up for the kickoff, Mullan gifted him the ball.
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The electric Jackson made them pay, kicking it into high gear, using the blocks, and put the Gaels to rest with the 52-yard return where the Golden Hawks went on to run out the rest of the clock.
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"We didn't play a very good first quarter, and everyone was witness to that," Faulds said. "We just needed a couple plays to gain momentum. And we've done that throughout the year."
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"The last five minutes of every second quarter this year seems to be our time to put up a lot of points. And we did that today, whether it was
Ethan Jordan, whether it was Layomi's touchdown, and then we made enough plays in the second half and sealed it with that
Tayshaun Jackson return."
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Up Next
 The Golden Hawks look to lift the Yates Cup on home turf as the #4 Western Mustangs come to town, marking a highly anticipated finals rematch.
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"We're motivated," said Jordan. "Obviously last year left a bad taste in our mouths, but we're excited for it, we're ready to go."
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"It's always nice playing in front of our home crowd. Hopefully it's a live atmosphere here next week. We know Western's a well-coached football team, and it's going to be a heck of a game." Faulds said.
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Kickoff for the 116th Yates Cup is scheduled for 1pm Saturday November 9. Get your
tickets here and be a part of the action!
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